Swiss athletes Marcel Hug and Elena Kratter will carry the Swiss flag at the opening ceremony of the Paralympics in Paris on Wednesday.
It was a long-kept secret in the camp of the Swiss delegation at the Paralympics in Paris. But on Tuesday morning, Chef de Mission Peter Läuppi revealed the news in the Maison Suisse on the grounds of the Swiss Embassy not far from the Seine. Marcel Hug and Elena Kratter had been chosen from the 27-strong Swiss team to carry the Swiss flag during the opening ceremony.
This is Hug’s sixth time competing at the Paralympics in Paris, but it is a first for the 38-year-old as flag bearer. “It’s a great honour for me to be able to lead the Swiss team together with Elena,” said the athlete from Thurgau, who will then make his first appearance at the Stade de France on Friday in the 5,000m preliminary race.
“It’s very important for me to be able to attend the opening ceremony,” Hug said. “It’s like the starting signal for everything that will happen in the coming days.”
Three distances on the track and the marathon are on the programme for Hug in Paris. In 2016 at the Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, the four-time gold medallist from Tokyo 2021 carried the Swiss flag at the closing ceremony.
It is also a privilege for Elena Kratter, 28, to wave the Swiss cross at the parade on Wednesday evening. This will lead the athletes from the Champs-Elysées to the Place de la Concorde.
“I’m looking forward to proudly representing our country on behalf of all the athletes,” said Kratter, who three years ago surprised everyone by winning bronze in the long jump. Kratter will also be competing in the long jump and 100m sprint in Paris. Things get serious for the athlete from Schwyz from September 5.
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